AIBU re sharing this taxi?

[nonevernotever]

Not a life and death issue obviously but I've been wondering all weekend.

I was away for work on Thursday and Friday with a small team of colleagues - 1 senior to me who heads another team and 2 juniors from my team. Our flights were delayed coming back meaning that we landed 6 hours later than planned at 11.30 pm. Our work policy is that we can use taxis (either on the work contract or claiming back with a receipt) if we are a) travelling on work business and either b) travelling outwith normal office hours or c) with luggage. In this case a b and c all applied. The cost is charged to our individual team. We are encouraged to share with others going in our direction.

I live furthest from the airport (about a 45 minute journey at that time of night) and often take the lead in coordinating taxis. In this case, both Junior 1 and Junior 2 live not far from each other and almost on my route home so only involving a 5 minute detour. This would cost about 30 pounds and take 45 minutes. Senior lives in a completely different direction.

Before leaving the office on Wednesday I had arranged to take a contract taxi if necessary on the Friday night.

When I said that I would drop Juniors 1 and 2 off from my taxi, Senior said "I think I'm owed a taxi." I agreed that it was well within company policy. It then transpired that he meant he was owed my taxi and was expecting me to order a taxi, drop him off first and then retrace our steps to drop the rest of us off. This would add approximately 20 pounds to the bill and an extra 20 minutes for each of my juniors and 30 minutes for me. I refused and said that we obviously needed two taxis - one going his way and the other going ours. He argued and then (I think) went off in a strop for the late bus. (I have since wondered if he didn't have a taxi slip with him, but we are allowed to take any taxi and claim back the money on production of the receipt.)

Was I being unreasonable? I don't think I am, but I've been wondering all weekend.

No. He was being selfish.

YANBU

It does sound like two taxis would have been more sensible, I wouldn't have left a colleague to get a bus at 11.30pm though. I don't understand what you mean about taxi slips though.

He is not on your way. He needs to get his own taxi and sort out his expenses. Remind him how to do one by himself and to ask for a receipt.

Obviously you weren’t as he wasn’t going on the same direction. It would be madness for three people to be unnecessarily inconvenienced like that.

Perhaps he is broke and couldn’t pay for it even though he was going to get the money back. Although it sounded like he wanted you to take care of getting the taxi for him. The phrase ‘I’m owed a taxi’ is a weird way of putting it.

YANBU. You aren’t his Mam.

I wonder if the problem is that he can't /doesn't want to book the actual taxi?

Sorry a taxi slip is what you give to the taxi driver if you're using the work contract. Savoy - that's what I've been worrying about this weekend. I know he had his wallet with him because he bought a sandwich at the airport, but he didn't join the rest of us for a meal. But if he'd said, he could have had my taxi slip.

Alfie - I didn't leave him - he walked off. I'm guessing for a bus, but he walks so much faster than I do that it's possible that he made it to the taxi rank ahead of us.

No YWNBU. Somehow it sounds like they wanted you to be in charge, not sure why, are expenses paid back promptly in your company? Maybe they didn’t wanted to advance the money

Expenses are paid very promptly - if I put in a claim on Monday with the receipt I can expect money back in my account certainly by the end of the week.

The cost is charged to our individual team.

If he isnt in your team and you took the people in your team and in the direction that you live

I dont think taking him would save money or him time so its weird that he did not want to book one

The senior is mad and unless you have equally mad company rule, that would have only allowed one taxi, which it doesn't sound like it does, YANBU.

He could have just got another taxi, or got a bus if there was one.

If access to immediate cash was a problem he should have said so

It's very clear to me that he thinks your job is booking transport for very important men who can't be expected to organise themselves.

What’s sossages said.

He should have been completely capable of getting his own taxi fgs, he isn’t a minor.

In the situation you lay out, you're not being unreasonable.

One of the following should have happened -

1. He organise his own taxi from the airport and sort out the paperwork/payment himself
2. He ask someone else to organise a taxi for him from the airport and sort the paperwork/payment himself
3. He jumps into a taxi and retrospectively sorts out reimbursement himself
4. He gets a late night bus and sorts out any necessary reimbursement himself.

All of the above situations are managed and entirely controlled by him. No one else really needs to be involved with his transportation requirements (except 2 but once it's organised it's up to him to do the rest). If he was running low on funds he should have approached you OP (not one of the juniors) and asked for a temporary loan of say £20 which he would give back to you when you get back into work on Monday morning. Again, the rest of the requirements are up to him. The situation reads as though he wanted the taxi you had organised for yourself and the two juniors for himself and expected you to organise another taxi for yourselves. I'd say if he had even phrased it as such you might have let him have that taxi but his "I feel I'm owed a taxi" comment is bizarre and very unclear.